~ Everything tastes better Smashed!

Category Archives: Pumpkin

So – I’ve been sick. Like really really sick. LIKE TOO SICK TO BAKE DELICIOUS THINGS AND THEN BLOG ABOUT THEM SICK! D-:

I’m starting to feel better, but I’m still all sorts of snotty and exHAUSTED.

Anyway – on Saturday I had the CRAZIEST need to bake SOMETHING. I couldn’t bake anything that would make a large batch because I couldn’t share it. I was super contagious. (Anyone want a plague-infected brownie??? *cough cough* No?? Why ever not??)

So I scoured my TBC (to-be cooked) list, and found a recipe for Cheesy Beer Bread that I’d been wanting to try. A quick scan of the ingredients and I knew I had everything. We didn’t have any regular beer left in the fridge, but we did have some pumpkin beer left from a party, because we did NOT enjoy the taste of pumpkin beer. (Finally something pumpkin related that I’m NOT obsessed with.)

So I figured I’d try it out.

And I’m pretty positive that pumpkin beer was MADE for pumpkin beer bread!! It added the slightest hint of pumpkin and tang of beer to the flavor of the bread – but it was so not too much.

This was a great recipe and I will definitely be making it again. It was light and flavorful with an awesome, lumpy, buttery crust. Ohhh I want some now.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed. If you microwave the honey for about 10 seconds, it’ll be much easier to mix in. ;) Stir in cheese.

Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. At this point I was a liiiiittle freaked out. This stuff looks deadly and FATTY when it’s first poured in. But considering it’s a loaf of bread, it’s not really THAT much butter, right? It’s just the way it’s poured over the dough, right?? :D

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Mine was steaming and perfect after cooling for about 10 minutes. I also wrapped it and munched on it for the next two days.

I really really enjoyed this bread and will be coming back to this recipe again and again! I think I’ll expirement with a cherry wheat beer and another type of cheese next time. It’s a fun recipe to play around with.

It all started with a pan. A mini-bundt pan in the fall items at Wal-Mart, in fact. I was in love and thought it would be perfect for the new Pumpkin Cake Recipe I’d been wanting to try. So I bought it and I rushed home to make these adorable little cakes.

Ohhhh my goodness are these good. The cake is so perfectly moist but not the LEAST bit soggy (which I have had my fair share of wet/soggy tasting pumpkin cakes/muffins). The spice was just enough but not too much. I’ve made them twice now and both times they were gone at work within minutes. Coworkers regularly ask when I’m bringing them in again. They are a hit and your house will smell AMAZING.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12×18 inch pan. (I used my mini-bundt cake pan, which I greased, but did not flour. A large cake pan should probably be floured as well)

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt,
cinnamon, cloves, and allspice 3 times. Set aside.

In another large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin.

Beat in eggs one at a time.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Spread batter into prepared 12×18 inch pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 (16 for mini-bundts; about 20 for cupcakes)
minutes, until a dark shade of brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan.

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioner’s sugar. If the frosting
seems too runny at first, put it in the freezer for 10 minutes and then cream
again. The beating tends to warm the ingredients, melting the butter too much.

This is a basic cream cheese frosting recipe that I’ve tried to perfect for a long time. I like my cream cheese frosting to be more tangy and cream-cheesy than sweet, so I think this is just about perfect. :)

These were one of the three items I baked on my Halloween Baking Extravaganza last weekend.

I'm Smash. I like to bake. I also like to blog. This is the love child of those two hobbies. :)

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